C Kent Johnson - Cleveland Monsters, AHL (2021, 5th, CBJ)

[docbenton]

He has a good first step which really helps him elude defenders and escape pressure...top end speed obviously not great at this juncture. Also has excellent balance and puck protection for his weight, and willing to take a hit and go to the hard areas. Upside to me is like a Jonathan Huberdeau.

 

[Breakers]

That video highlights exactly what I saw in those Michigan state weekend series that I remember.

Way too dependent on his skill sometimes

I remember that partial breakaway fondly where instead of getting a high quality scoring chance he decides to do a spinning drop pass when neither of his teammates had body position or were in the play.
5 man breakout and every Wolverine player was skating up the ice catching them on a line change and he decides to toe drag a defender instead of 3 foot pass and gets dummied.

he was benched after that in that game.
If he cleans up that part of his game and stops depending on his skill 100% of the time

The times he has been benched Pearson it this idea that he can take on 3 guys while flat footed.

 

[Baaaaaaaaaaaaah]

Lots of Zegras in KJ. Slows the game down to his pace. Not as smart as Zegras, but has some real tools. Possession/Zone entry alone pretty translatable to NHL. Gotta work on that shot, but Zegras had same issue his draft year and rectified it.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Lots of Zegras in KJ. Slows the game down to his pace. Not as smart as Zegras, but has some real tools. Possession/Zone entry alone pretty translatable to NHL. Gotta work on that shot, but Zegras had same issue his draft year and rectified it.

I'd actually suggest that draft-eligible KJ has a better shooting arsenal than draft-eligible Zegras did. People were worried about Zegras' ability to score goals. His shot has come a long way for sure. Johnson pretty routinely gets off hard, accurate wrist shots from the left half wall on the powerplay. Pretty accurate backhand in tight spaces as well. I also think their skating is pretty similar, especially when accounting for the fact that Zegras was playing against USHL competition and Johnson plays against more mature, physical NCAA competition.

I think Zegras has always been underrated without the puck on his stick, and I think his vision and iq genuinely rival any prospect we've seen. For that reason I'd have Johnson a notch behind. But I think Johnson is a great prospect in his own right, and I think he's an underrated goalscorer. I also think some of his puckhogging/floating tendencies make a lot more sense when viewed through the lense of a player transitioning from individual BCHL dominance to a more disciplined role in an NCAA system, and I think he made a lot of progress on those fronts as the year went on.

 

[Baaaaaaaaaaaaah]

Can't say I disagree with anything you are saying. Still has to work on that shot regardless.

 

[BringTheReign]

I will say that despite his strength needing work, he does have a natural sense on how to absorb and bounce off of contact. At times he gets pushed off the puck, but there were plenty of plays in there where he used contact to get even better separation or puck protection.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

How big is Johnson?

Does he come across bigger or smaller than he actually is?

Cause people can tend to exaggerate this kinda stuff.

 

[UrbanImpact]

Been listening to alot of podcasts and interviews from draft analysts..

word is Johnson is very high on a lot of teams draft board, even higher than Eklund or Geunther. Apparently alot of teams think he has the highest ceiling and potential and are willing to chance it in a poorly scouted draft year.

 

[Realgud]

To me Johnson's way of dealing with physicality is quite superb especially for, what seems to be, a skinny guy. He impresses me so much with how resilient he is with the puck which manifests itself in surprising efficiency along the boards, especially when paired with his elusiveness and skill level. There's some inconsistencies with his effort there but that has to be expected for such a raw player that came directly from the BCHL, at least in my opinion.

 

[MNRube]

Clayton Keller is who he reminds me of. Similar draft pedigree, skillsets. I like Johnson to be a Top 6 F and agree with others that he may have the most upside among Fs in the draft. BCHL to NCAA at his age is a huge jump and he still produced quite well.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

To me Johnson's way of dealing with physicality is quite superb especially for, what seems to be, a skinny guy. He impresses me so much with how resilient he is with the puck which manifests itself in surprising efficiency along the boards, especially when paired with his elusiveness and skill level. There's some inconsistencies with his effort there but that has to be expected for such a raw player that came directly from the BCHL, at least in my opinion.

If the Kings do draft Johnson the best thing for him would be to stay in College for 2 more seasons to get physically stronger! He has the skills but needs the strength to compete at the highest levels in the NHL

 

[Realgud]

If the Kings do draft Johnson the best thing for him would be to stay in College for 2 more seasons to get physically stronger! He has the skills but needs the strength to compete at the highest levels in the NHL

Strength, yes, but it's overblown as a "problem" for him imo. What he needs to do is mature his overall approach to the game. Too much overthinking when he has the puck. 2 seasons would be ok, but depending on how he develops, he could also only need 1 season in college.

 

[ponder]

How big is Johnson?

Does he come across bigger or smaller than he actually is?

Cause people can tend to exaggerate this kinda stuff.

Decent height but skinny. He’ll probably fill out significantly, but right now he’s slim. At the NCAA level he does stand out as noticeably weaker than your average player (physically).

That’s not my main concern with his game though, my main concern is that he REALLY likes to slow the game down. It’s not that he’s a bad skater, he’s smooth and elusive with nice edges, he just doesn’t play with much pace.

The slow paced game works for him right now because he’s SO skilled and smart, defenders give him a lot of time/space to avoid getting burned. But almost nobody gets away with that to the same extent in the NHL - unless you’re massive with incredible puck protection, you need to play with pace at the NHL level. Jury’s out on how well KJ will be able to adapt at a level where he can’t get away with slowing the game down so much.

Personally, he reminds me a lot of Tim Connolly.

 

[Nabrules]

Been listening to alot of podcasts and interviews from draft analysts..

word is Johnson is very high on a lot of teams draft board, even higher than Eklund or Geunther. Apparently alot of teams think he has the highest ceiling and potential and are willing to chance it in a poorly scouted draft year.

Any podcast recommendations?

 

[covfefe]

Been listening to alot of podcasts and interviews from draft analysts..

word is Johnson is very high on a lot of teams draft board, even higher than Eklund or Geunther. Apparently alot of teams think he has the highest ceiling and potential and are willing to chance it in a poorly scouted draft year.

There's really no question for me, which other forward represents a better risk/reward?

How big is Johnson?

Does he come across bigger or smaller than he actually is?

Cause people can tend to exaggerate this kinda stuff.

He's really slim, makes some sense as he grew from 5'8-6'1 in a little over a year

Can he go on the Pastrnak program and put on 30 pounds? I think so. His older brother is shorter but is listed as having 25 lbs on him.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

To me Johnson's way of dealing with physicality is quite superb especially for, what seems to be, a skinny guy. He impresses me so much with how resilient he is with the puck which manifests itself in surprising efficiency along the boards, especially when paired with his elusiveness and skill level. There's some inconsistencies with his effort there but that has to be expected for such a raw player that came directly from the BCHL, at least in my opinion.

a lot more impressive than a big body/fast skater who doesn't use their size/speed properly.

I'd gamble on Johnson all day.

 

[DJB]

How big is Johnson?

Does he come across bigger or smaller than he actually is?

Cause people can tend to exaggerate this kinda stuff.

Hes 6'8 I swear

 

[Herby]

Been listening to alot of podcasts and interviews from draft analysts..

word is Johnson is very high on a lot of teams draft board, even higher than Eklund or Geunther. Apparently alot of teams think he has the highest ceiling and potential and are willing to chance it in a poorly scouted draft year.

Not surprising. In a draft like this with so little top end talent it makes sense that teams would be more inclined to swing for the fences. It only takes one team to feel that way and I think someone will. I am less and less optimistic that he might fall to the Kings at 8. I know my opinion is in the minority on this one, but if I'm picking high in the draft I am taking him over a ground rule double like Beniers. If I strike out so be it. Some of the passes you see Kucherov making on the PP, I think KJ has that kind of potential, obviously he won't be Kucherov good, but being able to mnake those cross seam passes on the PP is a pretty big deal in the modern NHL.

If the Kings do draft Johnson the best thing for him would be to stay in College for 2 more seasons to get physically stronger! He has the skills but needs the strength to compete at the highest levels in the NHL

Ha, 2 years? With Rob Blake?

I'd be beyond ecstatic if we got one more year out of him if the Kings were to draft him. Blake has shown already that he is completely clueless and places no value on historical evidence on best how to develop NCAA players. Look at the difference between how Blake and Bergevin handled their Wisconsin 1st rounders who both wanted to leave school as freshman. As cool as it would be for the Kings to draft a UM player, part of me hopes a GM who has a clue what he's doing takes him.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I'd like to see him slip to 10 and the Sens take a mighty cut and take him.
Him and Stutzle would be bringing people out of their seats for years

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I have no idea why, but I see this player falling in the draft.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

How big is Johnson?

Does he come across bigger or smaller than he actually is?

Cause people can tend to exaggerate this kinda stuff.

Elite Prospects has him at 6'1" 165 lbs that's pretty light for a person 6'1"

 

[Kevin Musto]

Elite Prospects has him at 6'1" 165 lbs that's pretty light for a person 6'1"

Hasn't been a problem for Elias Pettersson

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Hasn't been a problem for Elias Pettersson

True that.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

I have no idea why, but I see this player falling in the draft.

I don’t know why he would fall. To me he and Beniers are of equal talent. Johnson may be more talented offensively.

 

[thelittlecoon]

I think the concerns in his game are overblown and he is easily a top 5 talent